Transcript of Francis' press conference this morning.

http://www.nba.com/magic/news/Our_New_Trio_Comments_June_30-112906-66.html

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Our New Trio Comments, June 30

The Magic hosted a press conference on Wednesday, June 30, to welcome Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to Orlando. Read their comments below.

When did you find out about the trade?

Mobley: “I found out yesterday that it was done. It was kind of a relief but at the same time kind of a sad thing, you know, leaving Houston, it’s your first home. I’m excited, I’m coming to work, it will be fun.”



Cato: “I found out the night before last night that it was going to be going down yesterday. I’m glad to be here with Steve and Cat. That is one of the things I wanted to make sure that I was with them, coming here with somebody I know instead of coming here with 13 new guys I never meet before. We’ve been together since Steve’s first day, so we already get along real well, good friends, hang out buddies, all that other good stuff, play ball.”

Francis: “I pretty much found out the day before it all went down. It is definitely a relief, it’s karma to put to the first chapter of my NBA career behind me and look forward to starting a new one here in Orlando.”

Were you upset at the idea of coming to Orlando and what did the Magic do to change your mind?
Francis: “I just think it was more me being so comfortable originally starting my career in Houston, being comfortable in that whole situation. I wasn’t able to talk to management here because of my contract. Once I was able to get on the phone with John and talk to coach, we were able to iron some wrinkles out that originally I didn’t really know about.”

What do you like about playing in Orlando?
Francis: “The East, I’ve played in the West for five years, I’ve got to hurry up and get to the East.”

What wrinkles didn’t you know about?
Francis: “When you are coming into a situation where you are pretty used to being in one place as far as planning your career, you want to know, basically, what you are getting yourself into. To me I think this is the best situation for myself, Cuttino, and Kato at this stage in our career.”

Talk about playing in the East and how this Magic team is shaping up.
Francis: “We’ll see, we have to see when training camp starts out, things will play themselves out. I think as of now, for what we’re trying to do as far as build for the future, it’s not like we’re going to be a team that is trying to build in five years, we’re looking to win this upcoming season.”

How did it feel knowing the Magic could have gotten almost anyone for Tracy and they came after you?
Francis: “It felt good, knowing that somebody wanted you. Hey, Tracy McGrady, obviously one of the most notable players in Orlando Magic history, but when you have someone telling you to your face, “Hey, we could have went out and pretty much got anything for their star player” and they wanted to come after us, I thought that was something.

Is the flip side of that the Rockets saying that they don’t want you anymore?
Francis: “Things like that happen, the NBA is a business, I can’t be mad. They went after what they felt was a better option in getting rid of myself, Cuttino, and Kelvin, which for five years we played our hearts out for that organization. Out of respect for us they put us into another situation where we can excel.”

You’ve been together for five years, can you talk about that relationship, that bond?
Kato: “There is no bond, I really don’t like these guys (laughing). Cuttino called me up and us being together is a great thing...we love playing with each other, love the game of basketball.”

Do you feel pressure to turn this franchise around?
Francis: “It’s basketball, man. We’re going to come and work hard.”

Do you think you will turn it around?
Mobley: “I don’t think we have loser mentality at all. It’s hard in a way. You know, we won 40-some games three out of five years. The West isn’t a cake. I’m not saying the East is a cake.”

There has been some talk about two of you moving. Has the Magic said anything about that to you?
Mobley: “Of course there’s a comfort level. Understand that we’ve been together for so long. I haven’t heard anything. Right now I’m just enjoying the time I have with these guys, cause I really don’t like them (laughs). It’s all good.”

What do you have to say to the fans of Tracy McGrady?
Francis: “Like I said at the beginning, this is going to be hard to replace a guy. Actually, we’re not really here to replace him. We’re here to fill voids in the Magic know they have lacked in the last couple of seasons. You’re going to get a gutsy effort every single night from all three of us. There’s no trying to be too cute or trying to be too cool type of basketball from us. People call me the franchise throughout my career, but when you have players who are willing to dive on the floor, who are willing to challenge a 6-8 or 6-9 guy when he tries to punch your center, you try to punch. So that means you have somebody that’s going to come in and lay it down. Not only myself, I can also say both these guys are willing to do the exact same thing.”

Since you were restricted in Houston, are you looking forward to a change?
Francis: “I wouldn’t say I was restricted, but there were so many changes that came, not only for me, but for these guys too. We were basically a half-court team. You know we wanted to try to run, but it was tough. We didn’t really work on running in practice enough for us to be real comfortable in the games with running. So hopefully this is a situation that won’t hinder my skills and will help us blossom.”

How does a basketball guy like you get along right off the bat with a hockey guy like Weisbrod?
Francis: “It’s a toughness. We talked and our first conversation was about a situation where he’d seen me on the basketball court and showed him I was the type of player he was looking for as far as being aggressive, being tough. This is a good situation, not only for myself, but for everybody.”

The Magic lacked defense and rebounder last year. Cato, do you think that will be your primary role next season?
Cato: “Personally, I have no idea what my primary role’s gonna be. I’ll play with Steve Francis and Cat Mobley and the new guys - Dwight Howard’s coming in and Grant coming back. You got a lot of rebounders right there. Steve’s been leading guards in rebounding since he’s been in the league and Cat may get his two or three that come of the rim (laughs). It’s basketball. I’m going to play basketball and play hard and do whatever it takes and is necessary. I’m glad I’m with them.”

Steve, when you heard about the trade, was there ever a thought that, “Oh no, there shipping me to the worst team.”?
Francis: “I’m a basketball junkie. I watch basketball. And last year, I thought the Magic struggled cause they didn’t have a lot of intensity. I’m not saying they you have to be ra-ra-ra for 48 minutes, but at the same time, you just have to display a sense of urgency. I thought their players didn’t do that. Once they got on a losing streak, to me, it looked like they hung their heads. I don’t think we’ll be in that situation to where we’re losing that many games in a row. Hopefully, we all can put our skills together and have a successful year.”
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